Sandy’s Blog

Today, eight of us from Clary Communications attended the Central Ohio Public Relations Society of America awards luncheon. And, while I was so proud of our team — We took home four big honors on behalf of our clients — I was even more taken by another significant impact that Clary Communications has made over the years.

As awards were announced and honorees approached the podium, I was amazed at the high number of individuals who were former Clary interns.

I have spoken in my blog before about how important our interns are to Clary. In fact, after I wrote that entry, I reconnected with a former intern who read and responded to that blog.

But, now I realize that interns who began their professional experience at Clary have not only left their mark on our company, but on the entire communications community. They are out there doing great work and raking in accolades from their peers.

That really feels good.

I am constantly amazed at how my affiliation with the Columbus Metropolitan Club has expanded my horizons in so many ways.

I recently had the rare opportunity to preside over a CMC meeting that featured the Tuskegee Airmen. We were honored to have three men who were members of this historic military group talk about their experiences of bravely defending our country from the air during World War II, yet being subjected to racial discrimination on American soil.

Their story is an important one in American history and one that needs to continue to be heard. I was humbled to be in the presence of these American heroes. It was a big day for me.

I wrote in my last blog about the fact that this is Clary Communications’ 25th anniversary. We are working hard to make this a memorable year for our firm and our associates. And, we are doing this by giving back to the community. We sincerely want to say thank you to a community that has allowed us the pleasure of doing business here for 25 years.

Each year, we select a special non-profit organization and offer our expertise to help that group achieve its mission. In the past, this has included Junior Achievement, The Wilds, Tri Village Mentoring League, the Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Alzheimer’s Association.

For 2008, we have chosen ALS, also known as the Lou Gehrig’s disease. Everyone at Clary is very excited about helping the ALS Association raise awareness through a variety of marketing communications strategies and tactics.

But, because this is a special year for us, we have also adopted the City of Columbus’ Get Green project and will be developing a Web site directed to elementary school children. What a fun project. I’ll keep you posted on how that is progressing.

Those who visit our offices will find a unique way that we introduce ourselves. In our lobby, we have a special shelf. And, every month, we ask a staffer to display items on that shelf that tell us something we don’t know that person or their interests.

Well, just when you think you know someone!

For instance, we’ve learned about Tom Heiby’s scuba adventures and Doug Frazier’s fly fishing. We’ve learned that Denise Baker is a student of yoga and taro cards and Dave Gilligan is a huge U2 and Bono fan. Priscilla Powers’ best friend is her golden retriever Daisy, though we already know that because Daisy is a frequent visitor to our offices. Wan Cen has shared some of her Asian culture with us, and Brenda Smith taught us about genealogy. Cynthia Ritter shared information about her travels on a student arts cruise ship.

For me, I shared my passion for Disney’s Goofy and Jimmy Buffett, two not-too-different pop culture icons.

Clary’s “Behind the Agency” shelf has been a fun way to peek into the lives of the people we work beside everyday. It’s also a way to let our visitors get to know us a bit better.

Happy New Year!

Here it is 2008. It seems like just yesterday we were stockpiling water in our basement because the world was going to fall apart when we hit 2000. We survived that — and much, much more in these millennium years.

2008 is not just any ordinary year for Clary Communications. It is our 25th anniversary. You’ll be hearing about a year — long schedule of activities that will celebrate this milestone and thank the community for allowing us the pleasure of doing business in central Ohio for all this time.

This anniversary has given me cause to reflect.

I consider myself a pretty big dreamer, but I would never in a million years have, in 1983, envisioned a Clary Communications like we have today. How could I?

I started the business with a telephone and a typewriter in the attic of my home. I had great support systems, the capacity to work hard and a passion for public relations. Today, we have technology that boggles my mind, plus great support systems, the capacity to work hard and a passion for public relations.

Some things change. Some don’t.